Covering 500 years, 38 patrons and several continents, this course is an examination of audacious acts of patronage and how they resulted in some of the finest art collections in the world.

Naser al-Din was a poet, self-taught painter, and good draughtsman in pen and ink. A collector of European artworks and one of the first photographers in Persia, he founded a photography studio in Golestan Palace. He also encouraged a sculpture school and, in his art collection, gifts from European monarchs hung alongside works by key court artist Kamal-al-Molk (1847–1940). Naser's son Mozafer also visited Europe where he became fascinated by film.